Owners of the Chief Drive-In Theatre at Ninnekah and Camino Natural Resources reached a settlement over a pair of wells that will be drilled near their property.
“We worked out an agreement” with Barbara and Greg Egbert “and I think they are reasonably happy with it,” Russell Eustace of Dynamic Land Services, Camino’s representative on the drilling project, told the Chickasha City Council on Sept. 2.
In a conversation the next day with Southwest Ledger, Mrs. Egbert confirmed the settlement but declined to provide any details. She also confirmed that films will not be shown for the next four months, October through February. “But we’re not going anywhere,” she wrote on Facebook.
The Chief is one of only seven drive-in theaters in Oklahoma and is the oldest one in the state: “since 1949,” Egbert said. The couple have owned the theater for 19 years, since August 2006, she told the Ledger on Aug. 20. “We own 12 acres,” part of which is in Chickasha and the remainder is in Ninnekah.
“We have a bit of bittersweet news to share,” she posted Sept. 3 on Facebook. “The good news first — we will definitely be open for the next two weekends! So come out, enjoy a movie, and make some memories with us under the stars.”
“Starting shortly after that, things will be a little different,” Egbert continued. “A drilling rig is being set up just behind the drive-in, and unfortunately the lights and noise will make it tough to show movies during that time.”
The drilling site is “just west of” the theater, perhaps 500 feet or less from the back row of the Chief, which has 250 parking spaces.
Nevertheless, “We’ve reached a mutual agreement with the oil company that allows them to complete their work — and in the meantime we’ll be taking the opportunity to focus on some exciting upgrades to the drive-in!”
The Egberts are “going to work with the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce to do some things,” she told the Ledger.
“We’re going to have a brainstorming session next week,” Jim Cowan, president of the Chickasha Chamber, said last Friday. “We’re going to discuss any kind of promotions we could produce over the next four months to help support their business, keep them relevant and in the public eye.”
Egbert also wrote on Facebook, “We’re planning special events like dinner nights, lunches, and more to stay connected with all of you while we improve the drive-in experience. We’ll be back — and stronger than ever.”
Camino Natural Resources, based in Denver, Colorado, received a permit from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to drill two wells from the same pad inside the Chickasha city limits.
The City Council approved the drilling permit for the first well on Aug. 18 and the permit for the second well on Sept. 2. Spacing between the two wells will be about 30 feet, Eustace told the Ledger.
The City of Chickasha will receive $10,000 from each of the two oil-and-gas drilling permit applications, and Camino posted a $100,000 bond on each well to cover any damages, records reflect.
Eustace said 446 Chickasha addresses “are on our report” to receive payments from the drilling operations. “That list may have some duplication, but even so that’s quite a few people in Chickasha who will receive royalty payments,” he told the Ledger.
On Sept. 2 the Corporation Commission approved six orders requested by Camino Natural Resources: three for multi-unit horizontal wells, two emergency orders on drilling and spacing units, and one location exception. All six wells are in Grady County.